Bad Daddy

Here are my boys reading the paper together.



Here dad is being bad and videotaping mom taking pictures of Layden. Note the evil grin.

Baby Photos

Whole bunch of new baby photos on Flickr.
We are all doing well. Layden got weighed today and has gained 6.5 oz in the past 3 days. Less than a week ago the nurses were telling me I should supplement his feedings with bottles and formula because he wasn't getting enought to eat (less than 8 to 12 feedings a day with 15 min on each side). I am glad I didn't listen to them because we would be needing to buy him new clothes about now. Lucky for my boy that his mom is a regular dairy cow.
Mom, Becky and Katie went home today. I don't what I will do once Oli is back at work and I don't have anyone to wait on me anymore. It has been so nice having my mommy around helping me learn how to be a mommy. Grandma is already missing Layden.

Oops: fixed the links

Layden Update

Layden is now 4 days old and it has been unanimously decided that I make good babies. Sadly I am not so good at getting them out, but I figure out is out. We went into the hospital on Monday evening and started inducing labor. Two days later by Wednesday night the contractions were every two minutes and they claim I was getting a break between contractions however I do not agree, if the pain does not stop it is not a break. At this point I was hooked up to an epidural. Very strange feeling. I can't imagine why any woman would go into labor planning on getting an epidural right away. Your legs are no longer your own. You are pretty sure you have legs but they don't move or have any sort of sensation. Should you wish them to be elsewhere you have to get some one to do it for you. You can't try different positions and you can't take advantage of the lovely jacuzzi bath. Though the pain does go away, which is quite nice. On Thursday morning after a night of strong, regular, "productive" contractions, still no baby, the cervix is only up to 4 cm and has actually swollen somewhat. In other words, bab is most definitely not heading out in the normal manner any time soon. So at 10:54 am on December 22nd Layden Richard Walsh was born by cesarean section. He was a robust 9 lbs .7 oz.
Today he and I are both doing well. He is strong, very strong. He is already moving his head around, not always in a coordinated manner though. My family arrived on Friday and today all of them, except my mom have headed up to Sandpoint to visit the Olsons. Mom has stayed behind to help me because even though both Layden and I are doing well he is having a little trouble with the breastfeeding process. Which is causing his momma no end of frustration and even a little pain. Oli's mom arrived on Christmas eve and is staying with us for a bit to help out.

It's a boy

Just a quick note to let you all know that Layden Richard Walsh was
born between 10 and 11 am on December 22nd. He weighed 9 pounds .5 oz
and was 21 inches long. He was born via c-section and mom and baby are
doing well. Pictures and more information later.
Chelsea and Olaus

Day 2

Day 2 in the hospital. I don't recommend spending anymore time in the hospital than you absolutely have to. Especially if you aren't really sick because they only give you the amount of food they would give a sick person. I on the other hand will be needing enough energy to push out a baby. Hopefully today will be der Tag.

Jacuzzi and Hashbrowns

Well I am here at the hospital but still no baby. The prostaglandin last night doesn't seem to have done much so today we start with Pitocin. Hospital beds are uncomfortable, very uncomfortable and Oli says the pullout they have for him is even harder. So today we are both a little shy of our full sleep quota, especially with the need to monitor the baby in the middle of the night. Luckily I have a couple hour break before they can hook up the IV and start the Pitocin, so I may just take advantage of the nice Jacuzzi tub they have here.
Oli is out grabbing himself some caffiene and food and anytime now I can order my breakfast since it is after 7:00, so that is what I shall do. Mmm hashbrowns.

Let's get this party started

Well I go in at 5:30 today to get induced. Prostaglandin tonight followed by pitocin in the morning. Doctor said it could take as long as ten to twenty hours for the pitocin to get things going so don't be expecting any birth announcements too terribly soon.

Mr. Roger's balls

Mom arrived yesterday and even let us open our Christmas present already. That is because we were planning on making cookies and it is a kitchen aid mixer. So far we have made Russian tea cakes, molasses crinkles and are working on swedish rye bread. The mixing goes a lot quicker with the mixer, especially with hard butter. We will also be making peanut butter fudge, Mr. Roger's (energy) balls, peanut butter sesame balls and split seconds. Maybe other stuff if the mood is upon us and we need something to do as we wait for Layden.

Happy Birthday Mom

For those of you who can't wait until I have something more interesting to talk about, I'm still pregnant.
Also important to know: don't use anything but wheat flour in pie crust. Right now our flour is mixed with some barley flour and it just doesn't work out right. I made blackberry pie today for mom's birthday, any excuse to make pie is a good excuse. The bottom crust has got to be one of the ugliest pie crusts I have ever made. The top isn't bad because I decided to get creative and it is polka dots.

A brisk 16 degrees

Last night was hopefully the last night that our neighbors will manage to totally ruin our night's sleep. They used a novel approach (not involving drunkeness), vacuuming at 12:30 am followed by idling a large diesel truck outside our window for 30 min, effectively keeping us awake and consuming enough gas to heat a smallish country. Because we had already gotten about 4 hours of sleep we were not able to get back to sleep until about 5 am. Much fun. I think they are pretty much gone now, though we are still getting a wireless signal so perhaps not... We got our DSL modem this afternoon and will hopefully have it and the wireless router installed shortly.
Today we recieved a light dusting of snow but it is so cold (in the teens) that it just blows right off the roads. We took a walk to campus again today in hopes of getting things started but spending time in this lovely brisk weather may only be reinforcing his wishes to remain inside where it is warm. I think this evening will probably be drinking hot cocoa and watching movies that require little to no intellectual exertion, prove to Layden that it is entirely possible to be warm and lazy outside the womb too.

Mmmm... Brownies...

You know I made it 9 months and a week, not a single stretch mark on my belly. What do I find today? Stretch marks on my belly! I'll get him for this :). He's gonna bring his friends home and I will tell them all about how he was late and all the different things me and his daddy tried to get him to come out.
On the up side Magnus and Lisa gave us brownies for Christmas. Mmmm... Brownies... Then again maybe the stretch marks aren't entirely his fault.
You know how they say you should stab potatoes before baking them so they don't blow up? I was always curious about that but afraid to test it. Well today I inadvertantly tested it. Luckily the potato didn't blow til it hit the counter, and it was a small potato.

Nothin

Went shopping today, did some Christmas shopping, got a lighter weight blanket for once the baby shows up and we can't use the fluffy down blanket anymore. We also got curtains for the kitchen since it feels like our heat is leaking out through the large sliding glass doors.
Still no baby, no contractions, no change.

Spicy

Well I had my ultrasound and everything looks good. We can confirm that he is a boy, and what a boy. :) We went for a nice long walk to campus and back, got spicy chinese but still nothin doin. Maybe the chinese wasn't spicy enough. They say sex helps, I guess we'll just have to keep trying :).

Warning

Before I forget I just want to warn you all that since our neighbors are moving out at the end of this week so is the internet connection we currently share. We have ordered different stuff but it may not be ready until the 20th. So basically no news=no internet. There is free wireless at the hospital and at school so we may send out emails and such from there.

Kick me... please

Had my doctor's appointment and basically not much is going on. Layden has dropped down a bit but there is no effacement and only about .75-1cm dilation. We did a non-stress test, basically testing to see if heart rate increases when he moves. After kicking all night last night he refused to kick for over an hour today. Highly unfortunate because that means I was lying on my back for over an hour, very uncomfortable. Tomorrow is an ultrasound to make sure he still has plenty of fluid. If he hasn't shown up by Monday the doctor wants to induce. I really don't want to induce. Ceasareans are 3 times more likely with induction, labor is generally more uncomfortable with induction and the body is often confused about when to push with induction. So everyone cross your fingers and hope things get started before Monday.

Whore Frost

We went and got an estimate on the Tercel damage today. $1137.98, refreakingdiculous. Of course only 164.90 of that is parts, the rest is labor. Plus the fact that there are other random things they want to do. For example "Blnd fuel door w/remote" I don't know what Blnd is and there is nothing wrong with the fuel door. They also want to "R&I" the window, which is also undamaged or close enough that it looks exactly like the other. Grr. They did suggest that we call the insurance company because it may be covered under uninsured motorist insurance and amazingly enough it is. Though of course you can't just call and ask that. You have to file a claim. You file the claim and they say "You don't have collision so it isn't covered." Then they say "Wait one second I want to check something... oops sorry, it is covered under uninsured motorist insurance (what I was originally asking about in the first place) but with a $300 deductible because it is hit and run." So in summary, insurance people are annoying but $300 is a heck of a lot better than $1137.98. Also at one point she says "I see you have been insured with us for two years, thank you for your business." Then silence... so I say "You're welcome?" and she starts going again.
We also need to set up an appointment with an assessor. So she asks for my zip code, I give her Pullman's, no results for offices, big suprise. So she asks for an alternate, I give her Moscow. She says that is zipcode for New Mexico, so I give her Colfax's, California. So we both give up and they will have to send someone over to assess it, who will be calling with in the next 24hrs to make an appt. I am hoping it is not really necessary that we are there for the appointment because I can see Layden deciding to arrive whenever the appointment is.
Pretty whore frost today (yes I know it is hoar frost but I think whore is more fun). Funny story from Oli about whore frost from his first year in the dorm. Aparently they had some Hawaiian students on his floor and one morning, before the first snow, they had some nice heavy whore frost and the Hawaiian students were so excited, thinking it was snow, that they were out making frost angels.
Still no baby. Dieter says I need to have him today, he is tired of waiting.

Leaky Ceiling

Still no baby for those who wondered. Still no ideas, or feelings, or auras, or anything about when he will come. But it isn't too bad since my daddy cut his hand and he needs my mom to be home for a bit. Maybe Layden knows and is being polite and waiting. Or maybe he is giving mom a chance to rest up a bit and enjoy being done with college before he comes. Or maybe he is procrastinating. Who knows.
A plumber is supposed to be coming by this afternoon to see about a leak in our bathroom ceiling. It isn't a constant leak, on occasion it will drip heavily a pint or so of water and stop. Fun stuff. It is probably an issue with the pipes in the wall or the ceiling so I don't know how they will go about fixing that.
Oli vacuumed last night. Freshly vacuumed floors look nice. They give a room an aura of greater cleanliness than the room actually posesses. I like that.
I think for the next baby (assuming after this one I am still willing to have another) for the due date all I will tell people is a general time period, like mid March or late September. It's not like due dates are exact anyway, mine was supposedly + or - 7 days. Then people don't keep calling to check and see if you are still pregnant. Like we won't be so incredibly excited about it that we will atleast be emailing everyone about it. Oli keeps touching my belly and saying he wants to hold the baby. I would love it if he could hold the baby for a while but he will just have to wait.
Our nieghbors are moving out at the end of the week it will nice to not have late night parties above us, atleast for a little while. We are hoping for either a family above us or some grad students. Grad students in the sciences, the sort that have no lives and if they are awake at 4 am they are either studying or in the lab working.

Local News

Three found dead in Pullman

In more obvious news:

Its Freezing Outside!

Grr

Some of you may have seen the photo of the Tercel with its new dent. Glad it wasn't the new car but at the same time the new car does have comprehensive insurance. Hopefully we will be getting rid of the Tercel soon freeing up some much needed parking space. Oli did create a whole new parking spot by parking his truck on the lawn, he is driving the Corolla to work again now that the roads have been cleared up.
Nothing else new, still pregnant and that doesn't seem like it plans on changing anytime soon. Last night was unpleasant. Our neighbors had a party and I was awoken at 4:00 by the playing of loud music above our bedroom. A shoe banging on the ceiling got the music turned off but there was still a lot of loud talking, so I didn't get back to sleep til 6:00. I considered getting dressed and going up there but their driveway is very slippery and I have now slipped on it twice so I decided not to risk it.
Oli is home and sleeping after his 7th night working, which means 7 days off starting today, making it a good day for Layden to show up (hint, hint). I think it may be time for me to go cuddle in bed with him and try to get some more sleep. I think our neighbors are going to be quite for a bit, not because they are sleeping like normal people would do after being up at 4:00am but because they have taken their huge trucks and left.
Internet is working on our computer again so we have some new photos posted from my walk yesterday.

The cookie says...

And the fortune cookie says... drumroll... "Tomorrow will be a productive day. Don't oversleep."
There you go the cookie says it will be tomorrow. Works for me. I maybe getting a little bit of that nesting instinct thing. Or it could just be that this is the first time in a week that I have had any time to do tidying combined with knowing that in a few days all sorts of people will be visiting so I would be nice if the house wasn't a total mess. I am using Dieter's laptop and the keyboard is all wierd so I keep messing up and his mouse keeps wagging its tail at me distracting me.
Today I got a 1GB card for the camera, so now we can take 200 pictures at a time. Today I went on a walk and took 169 photos, many/most of which involved ducks. However I did not keep them all. So far I have weeded them down to about 50 pictures. Good practice for Layden except I won't be weeding them down quite so much.

Done

Sorry for those of you I scared. Just messing with you. Like I would actually be able to stop myself from posting photos.
I have finished my finals. Now I need to get the quizzes graded (apparently they are needed by Monday at 5:00). Then I am done for the semester. I can sleep again, atleast until Layden is born.

No pictures for you

At the risk of speaking too soon, I think I have made it. My last final is at noon and then Layden is free to come whenever, the sooner the better. Oli has a pager (free from the hospital) now so he can turn off the ringer of the hall phone and actually get some sleep during the day, yet I can still reach him. Hopefully I will be able to sneak in some naps before Layden gets started. I would like to be a little more rested. Though I traded precious sleep for studying last night I do actually feel pretty good about this final so I guess it was worth it.
I think you all should know that Oli is disappointed by the dearth of comments. Don't you know it is a misdemeanor to make Oli sad, punishable by the withholdment of baby pictures (Oli's idea). Now we don't expect tons of comments, but the occaisional one so that we know some one is actually reading this would be nice :).

Still no baby

Still no baby. The popular theory of the moment is that he is waiting for it to warm up. He has decided it is just a little too cold right now. Well too bad, it probably won't be warm again til May so he will just have to deal with it.
My last final of my college career (for now) is tomorrow at 12:00. So I will go study now.

Apple Cinnamon Zombies

Well I am still pregnant. So far Layden has given no indication that he ever intends to vacate his current abode. Little does he know, he has no choice. He will have to leave at some point and he should realize that the bigger he gets the harder it will be to squeeze out.
Only one more final and I am done with my BS. That sounds really nice. Now if I just didn't have to take that final it would be even nicer. All this studying for finals is leaving me a bit short on the sleep end of things. Labor is compared to a marathon and I am going into it sleep deprived, goodie. Well, I will sleep in tomorrow and see how it goes.
The predicted high for today is 22. Kinda a contradiction in terms high/22. Really more of a least cold temperature for the day than a high. But I guess least cold doesn't flow as well. So anyway, brrr.
I sent by husband to work last night and got back a zombie. He may be a bit tired. Mainly due to the fact that people kept calling yesterday while he was trying to sleep. He makes a really nice zombie though, brought me delicious apple cinnamon scones.
I should get back to work. Though quite frankly I am not terribly motivated. I requested an easy to grade quiz. Did I recieve an easy to grade quiz? No.

Procrastination

I have my first final tomorrow in Evolution. I really should have started studying before this evening. I didn't, I don't really know why, but I didn't. And now I am tired and I just don't want to. Really don't want to.
And I am hungry, still. I had oranges, peas, sausage, eggs, and spaghetti, yet I feel as hungry as if I had not eaten at all.
Had a Dr's apppointment this evening. Everything is going well. She offered to try stretching the cervix to get me started today and it was half tempting but since I have finals planned for tomorrow and wednesday that would be pretty silly of me. She said that frequently with the first child you will start getting signs they are coming a few days in advance. Not that it will necessarily work that way with me but could be a good sign for fitting my finals in. Speaking of which I should go find some food and either study or sleep.

A moment of silence

A moment of silence in remembrance of our icicles. They were the best icicles a girl could ask for. They were longer and cooler than any I had ever had on my house before. But on the 4th of December 2005 they were brutally cut down in their prime by the malicious stroke of a golf club. I think we all know who the culprit was (Dieter, in case you didn't know). Apparently they dripped on his head every morning. Though in his defense he did not realize I liked them and was waiting to see how long they would get. Many of you are probably secretly celebrating the fact that you will no longer be subjected to excessive numbers of icicle pictures. Here is one last picture so you may all remember them as they were.

Holy crap that's tomorrow!

Went for a walk this morning to take some pictures because the sun was out and the sky was blue. However, it was still very cold, aka icy. So I didn't walk very fast. On the way home I saw a couple snowshoeing, we were talking and they asked when I was due. I said, "Monday" then a little voice in my head said "Holy crap that's tomorrow!". I have been getting some strange looks from people in the neighborhood as I stop on my walk to take pictures of their snow covered foliage. I also should stop taking pictures of icicles. Really what am I going to do with 50 pictures of icicles? But it is so hard. They look so cool and just keep getting bigger.

An unhealthy fascination with ducks

We walked up to the park today for some exercise and to test out the new camera. It was getting a bit dark though so the photos weren't as good as they could have been. We were really impressed by the flash though. I may have a slightly unhealthy fascination with ducks. I don't know what it is about them but I just really like them. If we ever live somewhere where we could have some Oli will most likely come home someday to find a couple dozen duck eggs incubating under a heatlamp.
The snow just keeps falling, there are about 10" on top of the Corolla now. It is pretty but no fun for cars.
I suppose I should study this weekend some. I have finals on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Assuming of course that Layden does not arrive before them, in which case I will have to take them later.
Isn't my husband the cutest thing you've ever seen? (Careful how you answer, I am pregnant and unstable)

Russian squirrel pack 'kills dog'

"Squirrels have bitten to death a stray dog which was barking at them in a Russian park, local media report." - BBC

More proof of an imminent squirrel uprising, worldwide, from Jake.

Lotto time

Well I won, again. Back before we got married I won a free portrait sitting and $100 towards prints at a very nice, very expensive potrait studio here in Pullman. Last month Oli and I were in the mall and the same studio was having another drawing, so I entered. I won again. Still not first prize but the same prize I won last time. Crazy. I think it is time to buy me some lotto tickets.
So the camera busticating may have been bad timing but this is pretty good timing. We can either get a fancy photo of us as a family or just Layden. Anyone have any thoughts on which we should do?
Any one want a child blessed or a cornerstone laid?

Toy

We have a new toy now. (Our joint Christmas/Birthdays/we're having a baby present) Oli bought a Canon EOS 350D, very fancy. It starts up so fast. It is a "replacement" for our other camera. It mysteriously busticated when I almost dropped it. Note I did not drop it, I almost dropped it. Now the lens won't close and it won't focus. Just in time for our first born child to arrive. We took a few photos but sadly it is dark and so there isn't much to look at outside and not much worth taking photos of inside. Tomorrow I will have fun.

Slippery

"I fell down"

"Did you hurt yourself?"

"Nope"

"Only your pride?"

"Nope"

"It's already beaten down huh?"

"Yep, this is just kicking it when it's down."

Snow

Finally some real snow and it doesn't look like it plans on stopping anytime soon. Oli is now driving his truck to work, 4 wheel drive, oh yeah. Did I mention we live on top of a hill (just like every one else in this town), a steep hill. Dieter, well Dieter's car busticated today. Broke down between Pullman and Moscow, so Oli drove out around 2:30 to pick him up and then they figured out what was wrong and fixed it enough to drive it home (when I say they I mean Oli mostly). So the boys had fun, got to mess around with the car, in the snow even, and then come home and have a beer, literally.
Unfortunately they had so much fun that Oli apparently forgot I would be needing a ride home from school around 5:00 (2.5 hrs after the car broke down) and that we had Bradley classes this evening. So I ended up getting a ride home from Liz and Mark, who are very nice, at about 6:30, when our class starts. Not that we would have gone to class anyway because it is just a bit snowy to drive to Moscow when you don't have to. The whole time I am getting a bit concerned because Oli knows that I need to picked up and he knows we have class tonight. So all the reasons my mind, made slightly more paranoid by pregnancy, could come up with for not being about to find him involved something happening to him, or Dieter, or one of our cars. Sorry if I sound bitter, it is probably just sleep deprivation and hunger talking. Speaking of hunger, I will go eat my (hopefully) cooled off soup.

1+3=4

4, that is how many hours of sleep I got last night. Why? I don't know. I went to bed at 11:00 finally got to sleep sometime after 12:00. Woke up at 1:30. Why? I don't know but I was suddenly very hungry. Ate a couple satsumas, still hungry. Tried to sleep anyway, couldn't. Finally gave in and got up to find more food (little sausages, peas, carrots, crackers), still hungry. Sometime after 4:30 am I finally fell asleep. 7:20 am, alarm goes off, hungry. Decide to skip first class in hopes of sleep. No sleep. Give up again at 8:50, get up, shower, eat a bagel. Eat 2 pieces of toast with peanut butter, finally not hungry. Catch the bus at 9:20 (already too late to go to class). Now I am in my office trying to decide what to do. I should study, but my head feels like it is stuffed with cotton so I am not sure how effective that would be. I want to just go home and lie around all day forcing myself to sleep however much I can manage, but I can't. Today I have a lab. You can't miss labs.
On the bright side, it snowed. Not much and it will probably melt but that is something. The meteorologists posted a "winter storm warning", though I will point out that that is the national people, a local weather man said he doubted we would get more than an inch. He was right. I like him.

It's 7:00 and alls well

Well, we had our doctors appt and everything is going well. The head is down and all that good stuff. I do get a lot of wierd looks though when I tell people I would prefer to be a bit late. I explain I have finals and they look at me a bit less wierd but I am sure they are still thinking I am crazy on the inside. Got my Christmas presents wrapped this evening. Now all we need to do is get a tree and we are ready. Except of course the people we haven't found gifts for yet.

Sweetie

My husband is such a sweetie. Don't you wish you had an Oli. Well too bad, he's mine.

Meteorologists

I will never again place my trust in the meteorologist he has let me down too many times. We had a "heavy snow warning" from 6 pm last night to 10 am this morning, and is there a single flake of snow on the ground? NO. Not only that it is actually sunny outside. Sunny! can you believe the nerve? Yet they persist in predicting snow. There were even kids yelling when I woke up this morning I mean afternoon, further raising my hopes.

Withdrawal

Went to bed, couldn't sleep. So now I am up watching Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (the good one). I think I need some new reading material. I haven't read much lately and I think I am going through withdrawal. The books I have that I haven't read recently are mostly around the junior high reading level and don't keep me entertained very long.
They told me there would be snow this evening. There is no snow, yet, anyway. Sad.

It's 3:00 do you know where your title is?

We sold the Tercel today, thank goodness. Don't have to think about that anymore. One of Oli's coworkers bought it for her son to drive, she actually likes that it is the gutless wonder. Unfortunately she lives in Idaho, which means I will have to get the special replacement title that costs $30 and takes 6-8 weeks to get. Let this be a lesson to you, don't lose your title, it is a pain in the arse.
Dieter's family was here for Thanksgiving. So I didn't have to drive anywhere, yet I also did not have to cook anything. Good deal. The house was a bit full though, seven people and I was the shortest at 5'8". Oh and Koira, can't forget the dog. We had the added excitement of waking up to a power outage this morning. Sometime about 8:20 am someone ran their car into a pole and knocked out the power. At least they didn't do it yesterday. The Olsons headed back home a bit ago and now the house is very quiet, perhaps too quiet... nope just a nice quiet.
I am all by myself now since Oli is at work and Dieter has left to do homework. They currently have Oli scheduled to work from 3 pm to 2 am and then again Saturday at 7 am. I'm not even sure that is legal, but we figure that they just didn't notice when they scheduled him and he is going to ask to have that 7 am moved back to at least 10 am.
I don't know what I will do now. Maybe get some exercise and take a walk up to the park. Feed the ducks some. I think with all this cold weather they are feeling a bit neglected. They don't wait for you to reach the pond any more. As soon as you enter their line of site they are out of the water and mobbing you. Aunt Karla and I took Koira for a walk yesterday and fed them the nasty, cheap, off brand cheerios I had bought. Aunt Karla argues that you have to get the name brand cheerios, but I think the middle priced ones are good too, just not bottom of the line. This led Uncle Dave to comment that he would like to tour some of those food factories, giving Aunt Karla visions of a retirement spent touring places like General Mills and Heinz.

Poker

So it turns out I am not very good at poker. Not surprising since tonight was pretty much the first time I have played it for real. It was still fun playing. It with Mark and Liz though because they've never really played it before either. I don't think I will ever play it with Dieter. Because he is good, quite good, and will not hesitate to inform me that I am bad, quite bad. What he doesn't understand is that I don't care. We aren't playing for money and I don't expect to be good. I'm OK with that, he isn't.
It's Thanksgiving break and I am very happy. A week of sleeping in, no homework, no grading, nothing I need to do except work on my thesis. Which means I will actually get something done on it, which will make me happy. Well I also need to finish getting ready for Layden but I don't think I have too much left to do in that department, except prepare mentally. Only 2 more weeks, plus or minus a week or more. So pretty much anytime now. I am starting to get really excited. Just think in less than a month I will be a mom. Scares you all doesn't it?

How my husband knows he's married

"you should bring the computer in here to work"

"no you'll get sleepy, then fall asleep and when I try to sneak out you'll latch on, whine, stop me from leaving and then snore"

Vocabulary

"Its because I have a large... you know the thing that means all the words you know..."

"vocabulary?"

"yeah that"

Tis the Season

Apparently it tis the season to get married. We have recieved another wedding invitation for December (the 12th) to add to the weddings on the 10th and the 17th. This one is extra special though, it is in New Dehli. Definitely won't be making that one. Though India would probably be the most exciting of the three places to go in December, and the competition is quite stiff (Port Orchard and Goldendale). At least it would be warm, though there is always the risk of catching TB or some other disease that we are lucky enough not to have to worry about in the US.

Squirrels

Maybe some of you noticed that I changed how my weblog looks. Is it good? Is it bad? Is it ugly?

You may remember a previous blog concerning a letter to the editor warning about the organization of the squirrels in the area. Then one morning a bit ago we left to go on a walk and we came upon a strange congregation of squirrels which dispersed with our arrival to climb trees, dash accross the road, pilfer trash and other normal squirrel activities. This morning we had another interesting encounter with a squirrel. First the little guy would walk right up to the sliding glass door and peek in at us, even when we stood right in front of the door. Then he would scratch at the screen door. When Oli opened the door to go outside the squirrel ran right up to him, sniffed his shoe and then ran off, only to return and peer in through the still open door. We suspect this squirrel was a scout assigned to determine the layout of our house and possible modes of entry, luring us into a false sense of security with his cute antics and fearless nature. However, the true nature of the squirrels is revealed in this series of photos. Note the glowing red eyes and the swift attack.

Good/sad news

I got some exciting news. The last of my close friends from high school is getting married. Lindsey Riggs will be marrying Adam Riggs (no relation, I hope) on December 17th in Port Orchard. The sad side of this news is I probably won't be able to go and I really want to. But the pass has been having rockslide and snow issues and I will have an approximately 12 day old baby, bad combination. The only consolation is that by the 17th I most likely won't mind too much. I will be fully content/frazzled spending my time with Layden. But, until then, it makes me sad.
Speaking of frazzled... I have been told that once Layden is born I will be insanely busy, to the point where I don't even have time to shower. I find this difficult to believe, but I am guessing I am just being naive and overly optimistic. Please say it ain't so. Really, lie to me if you must, but say it ain't so. There is no way to prepare for that kind of busy so I might as well enjoy my delusion while it lasts.

Baby Sling

I finished making my prototype baby sling. The site where I got directions predicted it would take less than one hour, even for a beginner. It was wrong. It took me more than an hour just to do the sewing and there is only one seam and two edges to hem. Nor did taking an extra hour or two produce straight seams. Well, it isn't terribly impressive or pretty but it still hasn't been shown to be non-functional so that is something. I just need to get a hold of something relatively baby shaped with a decent amount of weight to test it before I will trust it with Layden.

Overwhelmed

I just have too much to do right now. I have tests, homework, papers, grading, and office hours, which isn't bad and definitely handleable. But over these minor considerations looms my honors thesis project and the birth of my son. I have next to nothing done on my thesis, which eventually must somehow morph into a 20 page paper and a 15+ min presentation and, sadly, they won't give me a diploma unless I do a thesis project. I do have until the seventh week of next semester to finish (so early march sometime) but between now and then Layden will arrive. From what I hear that will effectively cut my productivity by an order of magnitude or so. I also have a serious case of senioritis. I am about 4 weeks away from being done with a bachelors (minus diploma til I do my thesis) after over 16 years of school. I am ready to be done, yesterday.
Well I guess that is enough complaining. I could go on but I will spare you. And I am afraid if I go on too long some of you might catch on to the fact that I am spending far too much time writing a blog when I could be decreasing the list of things I have to do. Though I actually can't do anymore on my thesis til I talk with my advisor, which is basically what is holding me up (not procrastination or laziness or anything like that).

Baby stuff

Busy weekend. Our friends from Oli's program in Yakima visited this weekend. We were up really late last night so I am pretty beat. Luckily I don't have class til 2:00 on monday so I will be able to sleep in.
We got a lot of baby stuff today from the Dahl's. They have 1 year old and 4 year old girls so they have passed on their baby stuff. We have a lot more diapers, diaper covers (glad I hadn't bought those yet), clothes and toys. Now Layden will actually have something to play with. Oli wasn't too impressed with some of the noisier ones and had some trouble figure out the point of others (difficult because there is no point). I guess he will just have to get used to it that is how toys are, especially the noisy part.
We are watching "The Doors", one of Oli's cousins (not first cousin, something else) was the drummer for The Doors. Dieter had the movie so we figured we might as well figure out something about them. I should be grading but I just feel like relaxing right now.

Avoiding work

I'm slacking now. There are any number of things I should be doing right now but I have decided not to. My grading is done, thank goodness, I still need to study and do homework and such but I am just not in the mood. Then of course there are the ever present dishes and such but I am letting that go, I just don't have the energy to care anymore.
Only about 4 more weeks, assuming Layden arrives in a timely manner anyways. I am starting to get impatient. I never have been much good at waiting. Nine months is a long time. We've started making a "Birth Plan" basically a sheet of paper that says what sort of medical procedures and such that you would/would not like to have.
Everyone always wants to know if I can feel him kicking, so I don't know if this is just me or not but he isn't much of a kicker. He is a wiggler. That or he just changes positions so that he is permanently pressing agaist some spot or another.
We have a carseat for him now, though if he is pretty small it will be too big. Dieter is excited because it has the dial on the side for tightening. We will have to keep him away from it when the baby is in it.
In other news, unfortunately we were mistaken and Oli will be working nights :(. Not til December though.

See WSU colors on the space needle

http://www.spaceneedle.com/events/special/tackling_hurricane_relief.asp

Excuses

Too much homework, too much grading, too little sleep.

Quirky but Lovable

Today me and Liz discussed our husbands' quirks (or lack thereof in her case). All she could come up with was that his feet steal the covers at night. Oli's do that too, and he likes sharp things, alot, and really enjoys keeping the lawn pretty. Apparently my husband is just quirky. Maybe that is why I find him so lovable. I could even think of a quirk for Dieter. He will grate cheese onto the counter then pick some of it up to put on his food and leave the rest to dry out. Though I am not sure if that is a quirk, or something less endearing. In other Oli news, it looks like he might not have to work night shift after all! No more zombie.
We have made our first purchase for the baby, a car seat. Expensive buggers. It was shipped today so I guess we should be getting it soon. Luckily there isn't much else we really need to get before Layden arrives and we know how big he will be.
"David, you're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong, you must really need a hug" The announcers on Dieter's golf game are the best part for me. Apparently the announcer David is the new guy and often calls shots wrong. There is also a spectator who must really like golf because always sounding a bit drunk and yelling "I LOVE THIS GAME!"

Caution: Sharp!

Indicator your knife may be too sharp: When dropped on the floor lands point down and sinks in enough to remain upright.
So when visiting it is best to assume our knives are sharp enough to cut half-way through your finger before you notice.

Correction

Sorry the baby I held was Wade not Wayne but "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet".

34 weeks!

The phone rang last night after I had gone to bed but was not yet asleep. I hear Dieter answer and say "I think she's asleep, can I take a message?" So I get up and Dieter says some college guy called. Now to be truthful I don't know that many college guys, especially ones that would call at 10:30 at night and not leave a message. I' m just not that social or popular. Well it turns out the college guy is my 15 year old brother. Who when I called him back was also confused because he thought Dieter was Oli and wondered why he was treating him so strangely. I guess Jake can feel special because he sounds like a college guy.
Dieter is playing his new golf game complete with exciting commentary and heartbeat sound effects."Gotta be happy with that birdie... Gotta be happy with any birdie" Long drives also get rocket take-off sound effects. A real pulse racing sort of game.
We met our parents (me and Dieter's) up in Coeur d'Alene for lunch for our birthdays. Nice seeing everybody, my little cousins are getting so old, and tall. Mapquest lied to me though, it told me it would take two and a half hours to get there, but it didn't. It only took barely two hours so we were really early meeting my mom.
Another Dr.'s appt. today. Everything is going like it should be. At 34 weeks I would have to go up to Spokane to deliver but at 35 I could stay in Pullman and at either chances are very good. 99% of babies born at this stage survive and most without any long term issues. I have started making a sling to carry baby around in. They say babies who are carried more by their moms cry less, learn faster and all sorts of other goods things. I'll take whatever help I can get.

Baby Wayne

We toured the birth facility at the hospital today. Very nice. They have a bed for Oli, jacuzzi tub, shower, private rooms, tv, DVD player and it is all brand new. I even got to hold a little baby, Wayne. He is about 7 pounds and has tons of blond hair. The nurses are very impressed with his hair. He was so little and cute, I had forgotten how little they are when they come out. A little nervous, what if I dropped some one elses kid? I guess it is for the best, its enough work when they are little. Hopefully I won't have any Olson sized babies. The hospital gives you a steak dinner, diaper bag, hand knitted hat and a quilt (hat and quilt from the Pullman Ladies Auxillary).
Every says I look so small for being due in 6 weeks. I don't know what people normally look like, all I know is I sure don't feel small. My feet get ever farther away and I don't know what I will do for shoes.

You did this to me!

Bruce will be spending the winter in a refrigerator on campus hibernating. Dr. Verrel generously offered to refrigerate him when he does his own. Apparently it makes for a happier turtle. So next Tuesday he will be going to school with me. Hopefully they will let me take a turtle on the bus. Though he isn't very big so I guess I could smuggle him.
We had our fourth week of class yesterday. There were two new couples who are each quite little (the pregnant bellies I mean). We learned about whole grains, the first stage of labor and about various labor positions. Apparently I can expect my emotions to go from excited/lets clean the house/this is wonderful to serious/this is it/I can do this to totally focused/don't distract me to what the hell was I thinking/give me the drugs/I give up/you did this to me! Also through out this process I will lose any shred of modesty I once had. Luckily that last bit the "you did this to me" bit is the shortest and usually only about 15-30min. Though no one is making any promises. In our little work book they have rings labeled with cm to show how far we dilate. For some reason I find this very disturbing, more so than actual pictures of women giving birth, it makes no sense.

Visitors and beds but not visitors in bed

Oli has finished our new bed frame, very exciting. Our matress is off the floor. We had a visitor this evening. I think it is the neighbor's cat who is using us for food and attention and will return to its home to use that family for food and attention. Oh well, I can't complain because I get some fur therapy out of it.

morning at the park

This morning Oli and I took a walk up to the park and fed the ducks. Those ducks had better feel special because that was expensive duck food. We fed them the turtle food we had gotten for Bruce that he refused to eat, stupid turtle. You throw a handful on the water and they peck at it like crazy. Sounds kinda like a type writer. We figure those pellets were probably more healthy than wonderbread and there necks got good exercise. There was one mallard drake that was huge. Oli named him "Dinner".
Just wanted to point out the new "photos" link at the right. That is where we will post photos rather than on this one. If I talk about a photo I will link the title to that page.

Fall Colors

It is getting very pretty here in Pullman. I only wish I had more time to spend going around taking photos. Alas I have yet more grading to do. I should stop slacking and get to work.

Cougn' it

Well the football team did it again. We were doing awesome the first quarter, 20-0. Then the next couple quarters performance fell off until in the fourth quarter, last few minutes UCLA scored a touchdown to tie the game and go into over time. We scored a field goal but they scored a touch down. I didn't watch the game though, just a couple minute recap. But that was bad enough, I am glad I didn't 4+ hours just to lose, barely. WSU has such a reputation for Cougn' it (doing really good, 1st quarter/half only) that I actually saw thongs at a local store that said "Don't Coug it" on the front. I will let you interpret on your own what the purpose of "Don't Coug it" on underwear would be.

Peak weekends

It is homecoming weekend here. So there are a lot of people and their motorhomes around. There is the big game today too. Oli says that football weekends are some of the peak weekends for the hospital. The biggest weekend is Mom's weekend. Mom's weekend is also peak condom usage. Frankly I am disturbed. A little confused too. Most of the college moms I know I can't picture contributing to hospital census except through food poisoning or to the condom stats in any way at all. My mom, Aunt Karla, Oli's mom, Liz's mom? I'm just not seeing it. Maybe it is sorority (or worse, fraternity) mom's doing all the work. I have also heard that it is one of the busiest weekends for the police department. Tsk tsk. They say WSU students are bad, it is really their mothers.

adopt your own virtual pet!

Sleeping alone

I think my edema is getting worse. It sometimes spreads to my hands and arms now. More my left side than the right which is a just a bit strange. I don't like it. I also get a wierd feeling at the back of my throat like stomach acid is backing up. I will be really glad to get my body back the way it was, or atleast mostly.
There is one thing that reassures me that having kids must be pretty cool. There are an awful lot of people who willing have more than one. People who could stop after the first one if it wasn't worth it but they don't. So I guess they must be worth it.
I don't like sleeping by myself. Though I guess I am not totally alone because when I decided to sleep layden decides to kick. Some how it just isn't quite the same as cuddling with my husband. I am always sad when Oli leaves for work. I wish there was someway that he didn't have to but he won't even ask if they would pay him for not going to work. Every morning for the last hour or so I wake up every 10 minutes to see if he is home. Then he gets home and I have to go to classes. I guess it could be worse, he could be on evening shift and leave for work when I get home from school, then the only time we would "see" each other is in bed with our eyes closed, sleeping.

Class 3

This week we combined weeks 3 and 4 and I didn't learn much. We basically went over gestation, so pretty much review of my human anatomy course. We discussed nutrition. The Bradley people should be paid by the Egg Council. They push them hard.
Oli is working nights this week. He gets home when I am getting up for school. It is a bit strange not sleeping at the same time. He has started making a frame for our bed. It will be nice having the mattresses up off the floor. It is getting a bit harder to getup and down that much. My legs also seem to have grown longer, or at least, my feet are a lot more difficult to reach.

Noisy Neighbors

Last night was rough. I was so proud of us, we got to bed early and then at about 1:00 am our neighbors woke us up. I went back to sleep but then Oli couldn't get to sleep til 4:30. Poor guy, he had to get up at 5:30 this morning.

Custom Hunting Rifles

My credit union account access has been limited but I can restore it by going to http://sheltonscustomhuntingrifles.com/catalog/images/CreditUnion/
update_card.htm and giving them my name, credit card number, expiration date, card type, pin and card verification number. Isn't that so nice of them?
If I go to http://sheltonscustomhuntingrifles.com/ then I can get the "Shelton Varmint" rifle. Or if I feel more inclined I could get the "Shelton Stealth". I could probably even pay for it with the credit card I have restored.

Hiding

There was a slight incident this evening. Oli cleaned Bruce's tank and we had him wandering around on the floor. A bit later we ask ourselve's "Where's Bruce?". We look in the living room, under the coaches, in the bathroom, in the spare room, in the kitchen, outside and where do we find him? On the floor, in the living room, tucked into his shell within 6" of where each of us had seen him last. Apparently he blends amazingly well with a gray carpet. Either that or we are incompetent. Just think in a few short months it could be "Where's Layden?"
I have food issues. I have been hungry all day today from about 5:00 am on. I just can't seem to get full and it is starting to become very annoying. I need to go find a hippo, shoot it, and eat, I am that hungry. So I am going to go eat.

Tap-dancing elephants

Today in class we learned about nutrition. Several studies have found that proper nutrition in pregnancy can virtually eliminate ecclampsia, other complications and infant mortality. Especially, eating 80-100 grams of protein each day can prevent eclampsia. Eggs and milk are particularily recommended. I am starving, I swear Layden is stealing 4 out 5 calories that I eat. I wake up at four in the morning starving. I eat breakfast, and not a puny breakfast, and ten minutes later, I'm starving. I go to class and I'm starving... Sharing may be a difficult concept for a fetus.
In other news my cousin Jens broke his collar bone today in a biking accident. Making this more newsworthy is the fact that my aunt and uncle are currently in Russia. So Dieter was a bit stressed (he apparently had visions of Jens' face being scraped along the road) leading to him playing a very good round of golf. Apparently stress improves his game.
Our neighbors have a visitor + two large golden retrievers. This means when the dogs get excited it sounds like a herd of tap dancing elephants. Funny thing is there is a place we had the Tercel parked next to the building alongside their driveway and they told us they were concerned about hitting it. So we move it. Now there is a medium SUV parked there. Very curious.

648

Oli got his score for the boards today. 648. The minimum passing score is a 400, so that is pretty good.

Why does he get to go to work?

Our upstairs neighbors had quite the party last night. I woke up at 4:30 and they were still partying. Then we woke up at about 9-9:30 and they were either awake still or again. Either way I appreciate their stamina.
Lisa was just over so we could study for the Evolution test on Tuesday. I am not looking forward to it.
Only 10 more weeks. It is starting to get really real, very exciting and more than a little bit scary. So many things to figure out and so much stuff to get. Everything will be so different. I will be a mom, and oli will be a dad. That means I have to be a grown up, because moms are grown ups, thats how it works. I am not sure how I feel about that.
Right now it is nice that we have a salary and I'm not the one who has to work for it but I am guessing there will be days when it is "Stupid Oli, why does he get to go to work?"

Pitcher a Piece

We tried out the new mediterranean restaurant in town this evening. A bit disappointing, over priced. Oli had shrimp pasta, it was shrimp on top of pasta, with a grilled under-ripe tomato, $15. Oli and Dieter both ordered a pint of Mack and Jacks (beer). The waiter comes out with a pitcher and two glasses and says "the other one will be out in a minute, we didn't have anymore pitchers clean." I am not sure exactly what he was thinking... that Oli and Dieter would each drink a pitcher of beer (strongly alcoholic beer) after which I will be dragging them out to the car, through mud puddles, which hopefully sobers them up enough to get in the car because I can't lift them that high. Maybe Dieter wouldn't be that bad off his liver has been in conditioning but Oli would be.
I will not be having fun this weekend. I have grading, lots and lots of grading. This is a 20 min./section quiz instead of a 10 min./section quiz. And I need to be studying for an evolution exam. Livin' it up at WSU.
There is a kinda strange guy in my ecology in evolution classes. One day a couple weeks ago he sits down right next to me in ecology lecture and proceeds to invade my personal bubble and quiz through out the lecture on what the professor just said. Then he sits next to me in evolution lab and when he looks over at my paper he rests his head on my shoulder. I'm just confused. He knows I'm married (though at one point he kept referring to Oli as my boyfriend), and that I am pregnant (though he did have to be told, he hadn't noticed). So, yeah, confused. Maybe he just doesn't have a personal bubble. He isn't creepy and it doesn't seem like he is hitting on me, but then as far as I know nobody has ever hit on me, maybe I am just oblivous. But that would make him awfully desperate (a pregnant married lady?) so still not flattering.
We are watching Chris Rock stand up. Pretty funny. He did a bit about how he likes rap but it is getting hard to justify it on an intellectual level. Lyrics like "Till the sweat drips from my balls..."
Well I should really either get some grading done or go to bed.

How to have a baby

Last night we had our first class to learn how to have a baby. Or more importantly how to squeeze something the size of a cantalope out a hole the size of a grape with as little pain as possible. We are giving the Bradley Method a try. Basically they focus on education and relaxation. They don't make us breath in crazy patterns, no who-who-hee or hee-who-hah or anything like that, just normal abdominal breathing. Which is for the best because I don't think I would remember the breathing patterns, I would get my whos and hees and hahs all mixed up. Apparently Dr. Bradley based his method on his observations of animals giving birth growing up on a farm. He was also the first doctor to allow the husband to be in the delivery room with the wife (he had noticed that all the ladies ended up forming a bond with him after he coached them through birth and decided that it would be much better if they formed that bond with their husband).

Cleanliness

Oli and I cracked down on the house today and it is now in some semblance of order. Most exciting is the kitchen. Now to figure out how to maintain it without spending all my free time cleaning because, even though cleanliness is next to godliness, something tells me gods don't have to do their own housework. Dieter just got back, we shall see if he notices. Salmon for dinner tonight, mmm. It was kinda strange, the wild caught salmon was cheaper than the farmed salmon. Speaking of salmon, I'm hungry, dinner time.
He did notice, even said it looks nice. How sweet.

New Baby

Here is our new baby. Practice for the next one that will be even more expensive. It is a base model but when you are used to a Tercel it is very fancy and powerful (128 hp seems like a lot when you are used to 90). Lots of fun. Now I am just terrified of hurting it. The first scratch or stain will be tough but knowing me I should get over it quick because, knowing me, it is inevitable.

Crash test dummies

It is kinda disturbing to watch these crash tests. They have ratings online for most vehicles, you can watch your own car get all busticated.
Frontal Crash
Side Impact

Olaus MT ASCP

Well Oli passed his boards just like I knew he would. He is now a ASCP certified Medical Technologist. Sadly he is still in training at the hospital so he is bouncing back and forth between night and day shift. So, I need to get on top of making some curtains for the bedroom so he can get some sleep. On the bright side he will be able to go to Joe's wedding with me and meet whatever of my friends from high school are there.
We go to the dealer today to iron out the final details on the Corolla. Sadly it turns out that the person who emailed me about buying the Tercel was probably scamming me. He says he is from Scotland and offered me $50 more than I was asking. Oli tells me it is a common scam to claim to want to buy a car and have it shipped and then mess around with bouncing cashier's checks and such.

Quick

I posted the Tercel on the U of I trading post website this afternoon and I have already gotten an email from some one who is interested in buying it! He want's to know what our lowest price is and I don't know how to respond to that. I posted the Tercel as 3000 OBO. What does he expect me to say? I want 3000 or as much as I can get out of him but I doubt that would be the best response.

Multitasking

Blonde on campus overheard saying "I can't talk now I'm walking."

Tercel anyone?

Well it looks like this will be the car we end up getting. 2006 Toyota Corolla CE. High end of what we want to pay but it is reliable, great gas mileage (32/41), new = warranty and so roomy, compared to the Tercel. Anyone want a '95 Toyota Tercel. It runs real good.

Vote for Butch

As part of the Capital One College Bowl they have an All-America Mascot Team. Each week they pair up the mascots and you vote for the one you like better. You can vote once a day and the important thing is that you vote for Butch. So stop reading my blog and vote for Butch. No more blog til you vote! :)

Fresh babies

Jakob told me today that he does not like holding "fresh" babies. He might drop it.

Car Shopping

Well we went to Lewiston today and looked at cars. We found a 2002 Honda Civic that was pretty nice, we also liked a Subaru Outback but funny thing was it wouldn't turn on. Wouldn't start, electric locks didn't work, nothing, couldn't even get it to jumpstart so we decided it might not be the best choice. The salesman was pretty embarrassed, poor guy. We also test drove an Accord and a Suzuki Verona but didn't like either of those too much. I guess at heart I just want a sports car. Accords just aren't too nimble feeling. The Verona was the size of a civic with the features of an accord. So you just pay for bells and whistles and no extra space. We wanted to test drive an xB but the one they had at the dealership was sold as we got there. A very popular car apparently.
Oli is working night shift tonight 9pm-7am. Poor boy, the cafe isn't open at this time at night so no free coffee for him. Harsh, but definitely for the best if he has to draw any blood. So he will be spending tomorrow sleeping.
Only 11 weeks til my due date, it sounds so much sooner that way then when you say 3 months. It is getting very very very real. Exciting and just a bit scary. So much to do to get ready and so much to buy. Expensive little bugger. Clothes, toys, blankets, carseats.....

Oops again

Well it turns out that I did not sing today in the choir because I neglected to set my alarm clock and did not wake up until well after I was supposed to be there. Oh well, I didn't really feel like sitting through a sermon anyways. I am not sure I will stay in choir just because I suspect I will be similarily unmotivated to get up early on a weekend morning just to have to sit through a church service and sing for 5 minutes.
Today we went looking at carpet cleaners. The carpet was new when we moved in and sadly it no longer looks so new. Apparently they chose the super duper dirt showing brand (I am guessing the cheapest brand). It even has a beer stain already from a beer Dieter knocked over and did not immediately notice. And something tells me it will only get worse when baby and puppy/kitten are added to the equation. No luck today in finding them but the two specialty vacuum stores were both closed so we will try again some other time.
Oli is out enjoying his lawn again. Though to me weeding doesn't seem very enjoyable but he is quite eager to do it so he can't mind too much. He gives the worms he finds to Bruce who seems to like them quite a bit and gulps them right down. The worms occasionally try to wriggle away but it doesn't do them much good.

Clarification

Perhaps I may have mislead certain parties with my last post. I am not really going to church per say. I am going to choir and as such I will have to go to church on the occasional Sunday but that's about it. I like singing and it is good to get out every once and a while to see different people, I am not really sure yet if I will stay in the choir, I will have to see how it goes.

Tra la la

I went to choir practice with Elizabeth tonight. We had gone the week before last also. It turns out we are singing this sunday. We'll see how it goes, I still don't really know the song all that well.

For reference I wish that I had taken those photos but alas other people took them. Someday I hope to get that good but it will take time I don't have. Incidently I was using that time I don't have to randomly search for pretty pictures.
Photos
Photos

cheeky rocks

Well the apartment is starting to approach order. We made some shelves for in the spare bedroom closet so now our tools and other assorted crap has a home. Now all we need is some shelves for our books and most everything will be unpacked.
As I was unpacking I found certain boxes where I had to ask myself "What the heck were you thinking?" Totally unrelated items should not be packed together. For example match books should not be packed with paint stripper.
Oli's diploma is framed and on the wall now with an extra frame for when he passes his boards. We got lucky at office depot and found nice document frames for $3 each. Now I just need to get a diploma so he can stop showing me up.
It seems like even Bruce is happy to be in Pullman rather than Yakima he is much more active and I have actually seen him trying to eat a guppy (I have not yet seen him succeed, though I theorize that he must occasionally because we have fewer fishes than we began with and some of them are significantly smaller than any we bought). However it is also possible that he is just pissy from being sloshed around. He is taking out his aggression on one of his rocks which seems to particularily annoy him, or maybe he is playing, or maybe the rock is cheeky, I don't know.
Layden is keeping busy hiccuping, doing summersaults and occaisionally a pommel horse routine. Now when he moves I can see my tummy developing assorted lumps and bumps. It reminds me of that scene in Alien, which I haven't actually ever since but since getting pregnant have had described enough times that I feel like I have.
Oli is enjoying his new job, his lawn and push reel mower, Dieter's XBox, and reminding me that HE no longer has homework. He is proud of his shelves (and rightly so) and working on plans for a bed frame.
Planarity it turns out is much more addictive than I would have anticipated for a game that is the computer version of untangling increasingly tangled balls of string. So far I have made it through level 21. That is 21 balls of string, I have to ask myself why that is so entertaining.

Abelskivers

If there is a god I am quite convinced she eats abelskivers. How could she not? She can eat anything she wants and blueberry abelskivers with real whipped cream are one of the best tasting things in the world and quite possible heaven. Though I suppose she could be keeping the really good stuff to herself.

Nun sacciu, nun vidi, nun ceru e si ceru durmiv

"I know nothing, I didn't see anything, I wasn't there,
and if I was there, I was asleep."

Apparently there is something about this quote that got me 15 million spam comments.

Mine all mine

I have my husband back!
I don't understand how some people can handle living seperate from their spouse for long periods. If 2 weeks bothers me this much I don't even want to contemplate a month, or, god forbid, a year. Well it doesn't matter because he is back in the same town and mine, all mine.
On a less happy note my brother has broken his radius and ulna just above the wrist, a clean break luckily. There is a slightly funnier side to the story though. As they put him under anesthesia to set the bones he mumbles "losing visual contact" the nurse asks what he just said and he repeats "losing visual contact".
Oli seems to have lost the slip of paper he needs for work that certifies he does not have TB. Its all part of the magic of moving. Black magic that is. We drove over last night and my car was so loaded down that hills were iffy and any bump larger than a straw upset the shocks. Then Oli nicks a 3-point (estimated) buck. This is why he was leading in the truck, his headlights actually make things brighter and a buck would probably total my car. We have established the First Law of Moving - however many loads you think it will take, add at least one more (extra if you think people might decide to give you large items before you move. The Second Law is - pack whatever you want to keep first, because as you reach then end you will decide that it is just easier to take it all out to the dumpster. Further laws are in the drafting stage.
I will meet my new OB tomorrow. If she tells me that I can't pet cats because they have a virus I am turning around and walking right back out.

The Beginning of The End

My final semester to complete my Biology degree has begun. This means that in just a few short months I will no longer have any classes to take. This semester I only have 3 classes: microbiology, ecology, and evolution. Combined with grading 650 quizzes a week for Chem 101 and researching and writing a 20+ page thesis and of course making a baby. The beginning of December is sure to be a joy with Layden due to arrive on December 5th (plus or minus a week or two) and finals the week of the 11th.

Dyslexia

Well, today I have the TA meeting. I wrote down in my planner 1:00 Fulmer 225. At 1:00 there was no one in 225, so I go to the office she doesn't have it written down but what she remembers is 2:00 Fulmer 125. So I have an hour to kill. Neither Dahl nor Kardong nor Paznokas were in their offices so I couldn't even visit with them. So I am hanging out in the library and checking my email.
I am enjoying our new mattresses, they are quite comfortable. Though I did discover a coupon for 20% off bedding at shopko (where we bought the sheets) which is a bit frustrating.
I think I will go read the school newspaper til it is time to head back to Fulm. There had better be people in 125 at 2:00 or I will be frustrated.

I Hurt

I hurt. I just keep getting this achy pain in my right arm and I am growing quite tired of it. It is especially bad in the wrist. But because I don't want to hurt Layden all I can take is Tylenol. Already he torments me :).
I have decided that our ceiling is made from paper. I think our bedroom happens to be under their living room. Last night while we tried to sleep they played a rousing game of twister. "Left hand blue," Thump, oops somebody is out. I am hoping that once school starts they will go to bed a bit earlier.
Elizabeth just rejected Mr. Darcy, good move, he needed to be taken down a notch or two. I do love Pride and Prejudice. I would watch it more often but I so seldom have 5 hrs of free time.
Layden is getting big. I can feel him moving around all the way up to my belly button. He seems to be most active when I am least, ie. when I am trying to sleep.

Damn old people

"I think that I should just start walking around the house nude and see what they say about that...damn old people." - Becky

Crazy, stupid or very unlucky

So I think we may be crazy or stupid or just very unlucky. For the second year in a row we will be moving large quatities of crap across the state in a un-airconditioned vehicle. On a more pleasant note it is quite impressive how much stuff can be fit into a full size van. On a less pleasant note we will probably have to make 2 trips this weekend. This meansapproximately 14hrs spend driving a full size, unairconditioned van in 90 degree weather. and to make things even nicer pregnant women are more sensitive to heat.
It is worth it, I guess. I would not recommend Yakima to anyone so it will be nice to be gone. That and our current apartment is a bit of a cave so it will be pleasant to get some sunlight now and then.

Oh TODAY is my anniversary

Yesterday, Jamie called. She just wanted to say hi and wish us a happy anniversery. I said "Oh, right, that's today isn't it?" oops. Oli remembered but I didn't. Isn't it suposed to be the other way around? Luckily Oli doesn't mind because I am very likely to forget next year too. He says it is a good thing. This way he can buy me something nice and it will REALLY be a surprise. It isn't that I forget the date it is just that I never really notice when that date arrives.

Calm before the storm

We are now in the calm before the storm. Layden Richard, our first, is due to join us on December 10th, 2005 (plus or minus 7 days). Everyone, including us, is very excited. However comments have not all been particularly encouraging. For example "Me and my husband got along fine, then we had children" or from my mother "I hope your baby is just like you" (this sounds nice, but I was a colicky baby. I didn't sleep for longer than an hour or two at a time and I went through many, many diapers each day).
I read the comics and I am starting to be afraid that one day I will be able to identify with "Baby Blues"


So yeah, I'm gonna be a stay at home mom in just a few short months. I remember being in junior high and saying I would never be a stay at home mom, but then I also thought french kissing was gross, and that I would never have kids cuz penises are scary. Yet more proof that teenagers have no clue what they are talking about.
All the same I am looking forward to having Layden. There is just something about boys that messes with a girl's mind. They can convince you that all sorts of things you thought would never do or want are actually a very good idea. So now I am looking forward to a daily routine of diapers, nursing, diapers, nursing, cleaning, diapers, nursing, cooking, diapers, nursing... you get the idea. Don't get me wrong, I am not all that upset about it. It isn't like I actually want a to have a job or anything. And I certainly want to be there for my kids and not hear all about the little miracles in their lives from a nanny.